Where do I begin. I was flying my ship across the Lus'kuvian Star System, within the neutral zone of the galaxy, heading straight for the Adventure Association's outpost in the next system over. It had been a couple of hours since I had left Alfar but when you have stayed inside such a tight space for a long time, you would start to feel claustrophobic. I turned to the side and gazed at the calliope of stars that were before me. It was beautiful with the sight being breathtaking. I could almost reach out and touch them. unfortunately, I had a mission to do and cannot let anything hinder my progress. I tapped my fingers against the console on my armrest, readjusting the settings of my ship to ease turbulence from the space debris while decreasing the speed of the vacuum thrusters. The ship's small triangular wings spread wide into four as a result while I set it to autopilot. With that out of the way, I could just sit back and relax before I reach my destination.
That was when everything fell out of my favor. Out on my left side, a blue sun glowed bright as a wind of ultraviolet rays struck my ship. Luckily, the ship's visor was strong enough to shield me from the blast. Unfortunately, I could not say the same for my ship. "By the goddess Alfar, what the hell is happening?!" Lights flickered. The consoles flashed on and off as I lost power. Even the thrusters became erratic, losing their equilibrium with the ship spinning out of control. Although it wasn't enough to cause my fuel reactor to erupt, it was enough to potentially trap me in space. Donning on my helmet, I took evasive action. With my scanners still active, I found the one planet close to my vicinity with any life. It was Y'Drall.
So, I took my chances and braced for impact as I dived straight down through the stratosphere. The flames of the trajectory engulfed the ship. The wings were the first to go as they flew off the sides. Then, in a flash, the ship was on the ground, having treaded across the soil and leaving a large skid mark behind. Apparently, the trees helped break my fall but left a lot of branches to burn. I unbuckled my seatbelt, opened the hatch, and got out of the cockpit. I knew that if I stayed too long, the ship might explode as the fuel tank was already exposed. Fortunate for me, the ship's trunk was still intact, meaning my chances of survival have boosted by probably 20%. My crossbow was still intact. Attaching it to my wrist, I was ready to explore this planet and find my way off of it. I just pray to the mighty goddess that there is such hope and not complete wishful thinking.
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I had been walking for hours. Days are usually longer on Alfar than this planet. So, by Alfarian time, it should be around 5:00 at midnight. It was getting really hot even with such a cool night. My breathing starting to fog up my helmet. The air filter was damaged from the impact, meaning I was unable to recycle the carbon dioxide in my suit. At that moment, I was only on oxygen reserves and they were quickly running out. I wasn't sure if the planet's atmosphere was safe to breathe in and I didn't want to take off my helmet out of fear of my lungs rupturing and my head exploding. Luckily, there was still 60% left, meaning I had enough for a few days to find my way off this goddess-forsaken planet.
I was growing tired. I needed to rest and conserve my air reserves. I leaned against and closed my eyes. however, I tried my best to stay alert, keeping my guard up for in case the local fauna attempted to attack and take advantage of my defenselessness. When the sun rose, I instinctively rose with it. it was approximately 13:00 in the morning and I wasted no time to get up and proceeded onward. However, I couldn't shake the feeling I was being watched.
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The blue sun hovered over the surface and it was becoming hotter than the night. My oxygen tanks were down by thirty percent. I was even starting to get hungry and thirsty, but I pushed forward. I was trained to endure such setbacks and all it took was some mind over matter. Then I found myself over a large quarry. It was a long way down and needed to walk all the way to the other side to climb down. suddenly, a loud crunching noise startled me as I twirled around to see.
"Now what?" I grimaced.
Out from the forest was a large monster with giant claws and several stingers from its thorax. It hissed and charged straight at me, seeing me as its meal from the morning. I blocked its attack, sending me flying off the cliff and straight down onto the solid ground. thank the goddess my suit was design to withstand such an impact for once I landed onto the ground, I quickly got up and stood ready for battle. The monster also jumped and landed perfectly in front of me. The crossbow activated. It would take about twenty minutes for the round of arrows to finish charging, which meant I had to keep the creature occupied long enough to bring it down where it stood. Every time I moved, the creature mimicked my footsteps, trying to corner me to get the upper hand. The stingers flew, whipping in my direction as I leaped and dodged each and every one of them.
My gauntlet beeped. I was ready to go. Aiming my arm at the beast, I fired a couple of rounds. They managed to pierce through the exoskeleton, albeit slightly as blue began to seep out of the creature's back. I had to get closer. That way, I would have a better advantage. That opportunity came when the creature charged again. As it got closer, I leaped up and landed on its back. Unfortunately, I was close to the stingers, which instinctively flew right at me. I ducked and fired right in its back, leaving a large crack behind as I hopped away before the creature could strike me with its venom. Sadly, right when I got off, the creature swung its claws and struck me in the abdomen, sending me flying about five feet as I slid across the ground. I winced as I clenched my stomach. Pain rupturing throughout my body but it subsided after a few minutes. Unfortunately, in such a state, I was rendered vulnerable and I feared for the worst. Then a scream appeared from afar. I looked and saw where it was coming from and standing right in front of me, I couldn't believe my eyes. A human?! What a human doing on this planet?!
He was a young man and was, I assumed, an inch taller than me with short black hair and pale skin. His attire befuddled me, having a tattered and worn out appearance that clashed his youthful exterior. However, what really surprised me was that he wasn't wearing a helmet or any type of breathing apparatus, which meant that the atmosphere was breathable. However, I didn't stand up and take my helmet off at that very moment. Instead, I laid low and watch how this would all play out, whether the human would win or the monster. Strangely, I was impressed by the human's vitality and with just a sword in his hand, he proved to be a formidable foe for the creature. Watching him sliced the stingers, my eyes widened when the venom hit the ground, seeing steam rise out as it slowly dissolved the soil. I was actually relieved that none of that I was quick enough to not let that venom enter my system or I would have dissipated into a puddle of plasm.
